Thursday, August 30, 2012

My journey into the world of independent publishing by Ally Thomas

My journey
into the world of Independent Publishing in 2011 wasn't a planned event in my
life. I became an Indie Author before I
knew what I was doing really. I jumped
the gun, let's say, and I’m glad I did.
I like to visualize it as the scene from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
Max, the dog ends up riding on the sled
with the Grinch when he should be at the front pulling. The momentum of the sled passing him by throws
Max on the back of the sled. He waves to
the Grinch and hangs out for the ride. I
call my publishing journey “launching the cart before the horse” and here's
why. Please note that you may or may not
want to approach your publishing adventure this same way. It's simply one way, the way I did it.

If I had
taken the traditional steps to get into the world of publishing, I would not be
a published author today. Independent
publishing through sites like Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon turned
me into a published author overnight. I
don't regret that rather spontaneous decision one bit.

I have
dreamed of being a writer since I was a teenager. And I’ve always dreamed of writing vampire
fiction since I read Anne Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire” when I was
15. I recall a comment from a college professor
when I was in getting a Bachelor’s in
Journalism (who I didn’t really like by the way). I told her I wanted to write vampire novels
someday, not news articles. She replied,
“We all want to write the great American novel, but we have to make a living.”

I
abandoned any realistic hopes of becoming a fiction writer after that and set
my sights on getting a job as a technical writer after I graduated. If I couldn’t write fiction, at least I could
have a job writing computer manuals, I thought.

As I
worked in the corporate technology world of the dot com era, I longed to write
vampire stories, something I'd be proud to say I wrote. I read every book I could find about vampires
and scribbled ideas into my journals.
When the shift of vampires being written as heroes instead of villains
started, I knew I wanted to write in the paranormal genre. But I had no idea where to start. How could I get published?

From 2000
to 2007, I struggled with my demons and they got the better of me. I assumed nothing I wrote would be of
interest to anyone, and nothing would be any different than anything else that
was out there. So why try it?

I didn’t
think I could become a published author like the ones I saw on Amazon.com until
I learned about ebooks and joined a community called Smashwords.com. Their motto is “Your ebook, your way.”

Other
writing friends of mine had been diligently writing their 100,000 word
manuscripts since about 2008. With my
having a Masters in English, I volunteered to read and edit their drafts. It was my little sideline hobby. I spent those years with my friends, talking
about their writing, plot, characters, reading and editing their drafts, and
dreaming about being an author someday.

When I
asked what their next steps were, they discussed submitting their manuscripts
to writing contests, agents, editors, and the like. While I looked on at their progress, my hopes
of becoming a writer seemed like a far away concept. Being paid to write books seemed
unimaginable.

While I
read and edited their drafts, they joined organizations like Romance Writers of
America and Writer's Digest. As they
received feedback from judges in contests, they struggled with achieving their
goal. Everyone had an opinion about
various aspects of their manuscripts. Some
helpful, some not, some picky, and some downright mean. My friends grew hesitant, lost their
confidence, and struggled with moving forward.
Getting published was a long shot at best, a dream only a few people
could achieve.

Finally in
2010 I decided to take some action. My
New Year’s resolution was to get something published. I decided to start small. I’d write one short story. If I could get the story published in a
magazine, I'd be happy.

Also I
wanted to learn more about a few new concepts I had heard about. I went online to google “publishing ebooks”
and “independent publishing.” There had
to be another way to get published without going the traditional route. I wanted to find out more.

I took a
short story class at a local college in the summer of 2010. By the end of December, I had a polished
short story of 20 pages that I thought was a nice piece of work. My writing instructor was a published author
of paranormal romance. She had gotten
published the traditional way (getting her manuscript accepted by a major
publishing house). When she read my
story, she startled me with two observations: 1) She had enjoyed reading my
story, and 2) She suggested my looking into publishing it online. “Publishing Ebooks is the up and coming
thing,” she said.

I shared
this news with my writing friends and asked if they had thought of publishing
their books as ebooks on sites like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or
Smashwords. I couldn’t sit still with
the new information I’d received (literally).
Seeing a book I wrote on the Amazon.com site was a wonderful
notion. And I could do it all on my
own? I could help my friends get their
manuscripts published as ebooks. It was
possible! It was a great spark I needed
to ignite my dream again.

I had
heard of a site called Smashwords.com in 2002 and had thought then that if I
ever wanted to get serious about publishing a book I'd check the site out. My friends weren't too sure what to do or
where to start with creating ebooks, so I offered to check it out.

With my having
a background in technology and online training, I agreed to research a few
ebook publishing sites and let my friends know if this was a path to take. We had heard of internet publishing sites who
took advantage of writers by asking for money up front, but not giving them
anything in return. I knew Smashwords
was a good choice because they were still in business since I had heard of
them. The company with now 12 employees went
public in 2008. They provide publishing
services for over 35,000 Independent authors and the number keeps growing. And yeah like Amazon and Barnes & Noble,
they are reputable.

(When I
say I have a background in technology, I should list the jobs I've had. I've been a technical writer (writing
software manuals and help systems), a graphic designer, web programmer, and
most recently an e-learning developer which is a fancy way of saying I write
online training or online lessons. I
know enough about a smattering of technology topics to be dangerous. I wouldn't venture to say I know everything
about every position I mentioned above.
I'm not an expert in each field.
I’m a generalist. The benefit of
having such a diverse skill set (writing, creating graphics, developing
training, and so on) means I can figure out my way around areas of the
Internet, especially documentation and training materials. And I know from testing web applications that
if I can't find the answer or need help, I email customer support, search the
Help file, or call technical support.)

As I
researched the company’s publishing services, doubts and fears immediately
rolled in. I questioned if it was a
mistake publishing any way other than with a traditional publisher. I didn't have an agent. (I still don’t by the way.) I didn't have a complete manuscript
even. I had a simple short story and I
didn't know if I could publish a short piece.
What was the word limit? (Currently
there isn’t one by the way.) I really
didn't know where to start. It was a
ludicrous idea trying to publish just a short story. I stressed about continuing on to write a
full-length novel and considered giving up.

Somewhere
during late 2010, I grew stubborn about completing my goal. I told those little doubtful voices in my
head to “Sit down and shut up.” Let’s
see what happens, I thought. “So what if
I get laughed at or get dozens of awful reviews for my story. Maybe someone will read it and like it. Maybe they’ll want to read more about Rayea,
my vampire from Hell. Besides I won’t
know if I don’t try.”

I was
tired of letting a million excuses surface in my brain to remind me I wasn’t
good enough to be a writer and that I didn’t have anything new to say.

Short
story or not, I wanted to get published.
Period. I’m usually not like
that. The old Ally would have waited and
completed a full hundred thousand word book, writing for years on a manuscript
she wasn’t sure anyone would even like, contemplating every aspect of every
step in the writing and publishing process, while the demons of doubt danced
around in her head.

The new
Ally, the one you know today, did something else. She published a 20 pages short story in
January 2011 as a Free part of a new series called “The Vampire from
Hell.” She crossed her fingers, threw
caution to the wind, duck taped the mouths of the demons racing around in her
head shut, and prayed for positive feedback.

Needless
to say, I haven’t looked back since. I’m
too busy writing and marketing my books while I still work for a few clients
writing online training. I don’t make a
ton of money on each ebook I sell. It’s
less than a dollar per purchase. I like
to offer books that are affordable and throw in some freebies along the way. That was one piece of advice from an
established author that I am thankful now I took.

The short
story (Part 1 – The Beginning) averages between 2,000 and 5,000 downloads per month
on Amazon since January 2011.

Now I
realize the series is taking on a life of its own. I have six installments planned out. How many more I’ll release I don’t know for
sure. I’d like to say as long as you, my
readers want to know more about Rayea’s story, I’ll keep writing the series.

Why am I
bringing this up? Well because in my
opinion ebooks are the future. As long
as we have e-reader devices, ebooks are certainly going to be a part of the
publishing industry. The shift is right
now in the making, and the big publishing houses are more than a little
concerned.

This is
from the Introduction in a new book published by the owner of Smashwords.com,
Mark Coker. It’s a free download by the
way at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/145431

“Even
authors previously published by big New York publishers are starting to go
independent. These authors are
questioning what Big Publishers can do for them that the author cannot do for
themselves. It’s only a matter of time
before authors begin speaking of the stigma of traditional publishing. Indie authors have the ability publish
faster, distribute more broadly, price lower, sell more books at higher royalty
levels, reach more readers and earn more income than they can by surrendering
their rights to a traditional publisher.”
(“The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success”)

Many
authors are making a living selling their books through these internet sites
like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Apple, Sony, etc. I’ve heard a few stories of established
authors, dropped by the publishing houses, have turned to publishing ebooks on
their own.

If you’re
an aspiring writer and you want to publish your manuscript through any of these
sites, go for it. Don’t let doubt or
fear stop you. Do a search on google for
“publishing ebooks” or go to Amazon and look for “how to” books. A lot of good resources are available.

I’d
suggest joining Smashwords.com because they have several guides that lead you step-by-step
through the process such as the one mentioned above.

I’ve
already helped two of my writing friends realize their dream, and I have two
more friends in the wings. Once they
told me they wanted to publish their book as an ebook, I didn’t forget that
comment. It’s the vampire in me, lol.

Latest Book Link and
Information

The Vampire from Hell (Parts 1-3) – The Volume Series #1

According to Rayea, the oldest daughter of Satan, the origin of
vampires started in Hell, and it started with her. Ally Thomas offers the first
volume of the Vampire from Hell series in this collection. It includes the first
three parts of the series including

·"The
Vampire from Hell (Part 1) - The Beginning

·"The
Vampire from Hell (Part 2) - A Vampire Among Angels"

·"The
Vampire from Hell (Part 3) - A Vampire On Vacation"

The Vampire from Hell, a novella series, is being released in
installments and continues Halloween 2012 with "The Vampire from Hell
(Part 4) - The Vampire from Hell Returns."

Ally Thomas loves writing fantasy and paranormal books that showcase
vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches, and any furry monsters who go bump in
the night. She enjoys imagining new origins for these traditional creatures and
seeing where it'll take her.Ally lives in the south with her husband and
unproductive furry co-workers including two cats and a dog. She is currently
working on the next installment of the fantasy paranormal series, the Vampire
from Hell and the upcoming paranormal romance series, Fanged Love. Learn more
at www.allythomas.com.

Subscribe to our mailing list

Followers

Pages

About Wendy Ely

Wendy Ely lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her children and her own real life hero. She keeps busy editing manuscripts for authors, spending time with her family, and taking care of two cats. No matter what, Wendy believes in true love and happily ever after which she provides in her novels!